Turkey dismisses 7000 military personnel from Armed Forces
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More than 7,000 military personnel have been dismissed from the Turkish Armed Forces over suspected links to the Gulen movement, also known in Turkey as the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), since the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, according to a source from the country's Defense Ministry.
The source who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media said Wednesday that a total of 7,655 military personnel including 150 generals and admirals and 4,287 commissioned officers had been dismissed from their posts since the defeated coup.
In addition, some 786 personnel had also been temporarily suspended from the armed forces, the source added.
According to the Turkish government, the movement and its U.S-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 250 people dead and nearly 2,200 injured.
Ankara also accuses the movement of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.
Since the coup, Turkey has arrested tens of thousands of suspected supporters and dismissed more than 100,000 public servants from government.
